Night's Plutonian Shores
by NPSjedisprite
Summary: (Alternate Universe). If you like stories that read like a good manga, this is for you. The destinies of an ambitious Chiss noble, a beautiful Twi'Lek singer, a motley of pirates . . .(rest of the trailer in document) READ AND REVIEW, PLEASE
1. Prologue

**Complete Teaser: **Definitely AU (Alternate Universe). If you like stories that read like a good manga, this one is for you. The destinies of an ambitious Chiss noble, a beautiful Twi'Lek singer, a motley of pirates, and more are entwined with the fate of a turbulent galaxy in this new take on the species and cultures of the Star Wars universe. What is the "phantom ship of the Sith"? Who are the Advocates of the Force? Can the dark future a Mira Luka seer foresees for the Republic be avoided? If I've piqued your curiosity, read on!

**Author's Notes:** The story has a slow start, like any novel length adventure and there are a lot of important characters to introduce, so bear with me; I think you will find it worth it. Don't let this color your opinion, but this story is based on an RPG campaign. I want Von Lormac, Taru, the mysterious Kel-dor Jern Ponn and the impulsive Neris, and all the rest of the characters to make a place in your heart just as they have in mine. Let me show you our world, and our story.

**NEW 3/24/05:**A line like the one shownbelow

* * *

will be inserted in between paragraphs where there is a shift in scene and/or point of view. I was using double spaces, but it has come to my attention that the engine double spaces _every_ paragraph automatically. 

**Disclaimer:** Star Wars and all its copy written material belong to LucasArts, NOT me. Neither does the phrase "Night's Plutonian Shores"; it is a quote fromPoe's _The Raven_.

**Prologue **

"You are sending me . . . where?"  
Lord Von Lormac, fifth scion of the House of Karn-fal, couldn't believe what he was hearing. Indeed, he didn't know whether to be disturbed or delighted . . . or to think that he was being made a mockery of. But not a hint of arrogant pleasure gleamed in his superior's solar red eyes.

It was impossible to think of a recent entrepreneur elect having their first commission off-world- let alone out of the imperial space. Yet here he was, being presented with an opportunity to expand the Chiss business frontier in a critical development. Someone in power must really be pleased with his work . . . or want him very far out of the way. The planet on which he was to set up "shop", and eventually possible business dominion, was one of the richest, and most dangerous areas in the galaxy. A gamblers heaven and a smugglers dream, it was also uncomfortably close to that aggressive cluster of worlds, Sith space. A profiteer trying to establish a presence would have to hold his own against a great variety of circumstances with nearly unforeseeable odds. The ultimate Chiss nightmare is a clouded future.

Nevertheless, risk is always the price of ambition, and the prospect of being the first Chiss to further the imperial interests as far as the glitzy rock of sin known as Ord Mantell was appealing indeed.

"This is the decision of your committee in accordance with your progress and promise. Do you accept, Karn-fal Von Lormac, or should I suggest this venture to another candidate?"

The supervisor folded his arms across the broad surface of his crisp white, uniformed chest. In the cold, all-business tradition of the Chiss, he was not eager to wait. Good fortune was either seized immediately, or it was lost.

"Yes, sir."

Von's answer was so vehement that he even surprised himself, though his posture remained relaxed in his seat in front of the Tarlon Academy's Senior Supervisor's broad desk, his fists clenched below the other man's line of sight. Excitement was tense within him, and he was unaccustomed to it. The Chiss were a pragmatic people, putting little stock in "fate" or "the Force". But if there was such a thing as destiny, Von felt as though he could feel it rising to meet him. This assignment would make or break him.

* * *

In a shadowed spot near the entry to the sterile, blue-silver office chamber, someone else was taken aback by the sudden light show of emotion. Taru, Von's personal bodyguard and closest attendant, had rarely seen her lord express even the slightest show of sentiment. And she had been with him a long time, almost as long as she could remember. 

Part of the feral, attractive species known as the Nagai, it was Taru's duty, and honor, to partake of her people's eternal life debt by serving the Chiss noble. Her pairing at the onset of puberty to Von Lormac, younger scion of the prestigious merchanthouse of Karn-fal, was based on a complex series of tests of their psychological, mental, and physical capabilities. Not ones for leaving things to chance, the Chiss; they were lovers and masters of the delicate art of calculation. Even the decision to help the elfin nagai off of the harsh heap they had once called home had been more a carefully executed political and socio-economic move than an act of altruism, landing the Chiss empire with an entire culture of devoted servants.

And Taru was devoted, not just for reasons of the Life Debt. She admired Lord Von for his strong character and unconventional methods, his easy charisma and commanding presence even at such a young age. She would follow him to this Ord Mantell, or wherever else his footsteps would take him.

The supervisor spoke now to her.

"Nagai, you are aware of all that has transpired," the slightest turn of the neck, and the flick of ruby irises in her direction was all the Chiss Overlord deemed appropriate acknowledgement. "Will you follow your Lord, Von Lormac, out of this space that has been your home? Will you consign yourself to protect him and his holdings with your very life?"

"Yes, sir!"

Taru responded with passion equal to her Lord's answer, and the supervisor nodded his slick, ebon-haired head in approval. To him, her devotion was an affirmation of the sacred trust that had held between the two species for a hundred years.

* * *

"Very well. Von, scion of the family Lormac of the house of Karn-fal, who carry in their veins the blood of the great family Inrokini, you are officially assigned to open the planet of Ord Mantell to all benefits and privileges of official business with the noble empire of the Chiss." 

With an elegant sweep of his long, blue right hand, the supervisor produced a pen from its silver holder on the desk. Von kept his aristocratic mouth in a firm line as the Senior Supervisor, without even leaving the seat, signed the papers that would send him light years from everything he has ever known. The young Chiss rose to receive his official statement of commission, arms behind his back, spine straight and legs locked in an attentive stance. In the true style of their people, the supervisor did not pause, but gave the command that would complete the time-honored Interview of Ascension.

"Karn-fal Von Lormac, you will take your nagai bodyguard and small entourage, and you will descend to Ord Mantell in a manner appropriately representing your empire. Once there, you will use whatever means necessary, provided they befit your status as a Chiss Lord and Entrepreneur Elect, to secure commercial supremacy of the space station Purgatory and trade dominance of the planet. Scion of Karn-fal, I commend you to your task."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Auspicious Beginnings**

The citizens on the commercial transport contained their whispers, as polite Chiss do, but they were indeed curious. Here in the spacious first class cabin, lounging in one of the plush velvet armchairs, was a handsome noble dressed in the silver grey dress uniform of House Inrokini. How high his standing was was anyone's (and in this case, everyone's) guess. It was doubtful that one of the immediate house members would use a public transit, no matter how luxuriant the first class seating might be.

But there was no doubt that this gentleman was _somebody_. From his straight posture to the firm, angular face and black sweep of hair that shone like obsidian stone, the young Chiss exuded an aura of command. His build, tall and with a decent bit of muscle, was definitely too toned to belong to anyone at the extreme higher end of the Houses; The Four Families rarely got out much, and enjoyed a considerably softer life than most Chiss. It was widely speculated in the cool minds of the cabin's current inhabitants that he was likely a second son from one of the 1st cousins of the family, on his way to some rich assignment as a newly Elect.

The idea of his wealth being considerable was augmented by his companions. A striking nagai sat on his left, wearing the blue and red insignia of the family she served and her long, wicked tehk'la blade leaning against the cabin wall, ever ready for action. On his other side sat a pretty twi'lek, with skin almost the same shade of blue as the Chiss (a fair prize among them). The Chiss "collected" members of certain other species, particularly those who had a highly visible feature that resembled their own. She wore no visible chain, only a silver collar that complimented her cream-colored gown. She was a companion-to-court, and a very elegant one at that.

Though he didn't show it, Von knew that they were looking out of the corners of their eyes, speculating about him. In fact, it pleased him quite a bit.

The twi'lek girl, Lain Tee Eyan, was a new addition to his entourage. A gift from an uncle in the Cabinet to congratulate him on his achievements, she was apparently something of a performer, known throughout the rest of the galaxy. Though Chiss were not, as a rule, fond of the holovid, Von had studied enough to realize that Lain Tee could provide him with quite a bit of revenue. He didn't believe in collars and chains on his people, as he referred to those who worked for him; this seemed to please her a great deal. She had no specific demands, save that she not be required to do anything pornographic (she had apparently done two early on, "to advance her career" as she put it, and found them demeaning).

This was easy enough, since her singing and dancing talents were quite the rage even as far as Ord Mantell. In fact, she had become the perfect cover. The famous Lain Tee Eyan was to give a performance on Purgatory, the station that hovered above the planet and was the source of most of its intergalactic trade. Of course, her benefactor should be there; and he was now that man.

He had granted permission for the performance as a "gift" to the owner of the station, a Rodian gangster known by the name of Prometheus. The official reason for his arrival at the station was that the Chiss wished to negotiate permission to bring their commerce to the station and the planet, and sought the approval of one of the sector's most "influential" citizens.

The fact of the matter was that his orders were to supplant the rodian's influence and take dominance of the station if possible.

There was a slight turbulence as the transport lifted off from the launch pad. Von watched the slender silver towers and lush tropical greenery of the biosphere grow smaller out of the round reinforced window nearby. Below and behind him lie his family estate, and the gardens in which he and Taru played together when they were younger. They were bound for an unknown world now. Glancing over, he caught her also watching the diminishing city, an oddly wistful look on her normally stoic countenance. Von felt an unaccustomed surge of warmth and gratitude for the trusted companion who had been with him since the day he turned twelve. It was a great gift she was giving him, leaving the only home they had ever known.

The exit port in the biodome ceiling was opening above, and the transport rising through it when at last the city was taken from view. Outside, Von caught a rare glimpse of the real face of his homeworld. Beyond the artificial paradises of the Chiss biospheres, Csilla was an ice giant, a sparkling mass of frozen water lit by the radiance of a far-off sun. Jagged glacial cliffs glittered beneath them, as the transport sped off gradually gaining altitude. Von was reminded of the myth that the gods formed his people from the ice of Csilla. It was the one piece of superstition that the cool, impartial race still held sacred.

"Hey, boss?"

Lain Tee's rather high voice sliced into his thoughts. He pierced the twi'lek girl with a gaze that most of his subordinates knew to mean "this better be good". She continued unfazed.

"Your uncle used to buy me whatever I wanted, so long as it was reasonable. Can I pick out some new jewelry when we get to the Ord planet?"

Her big emerald eyes were guileless, but his mood still shifted to mildly impressed. The girl knew what she wanted and what she could get away with and wasn't afraid to ask for it. These were good qualities for a member of his entourage. Why not? When they got there, they should all celebrate a little. It was good for morale.

"I think we can arrange something."

The stars of space were burning brightly as the transport entered orbit.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Ord Mantell

"Oowahm! Check it out! That's a Chiss transport arriving. You don't see many of them outside of their imperial space. "

Staring out of the large hanger bay windows had become pretty much the only hobby Neris had these days. She spent most of her time perched on the wide metal sill, gazing out into the endless night of space. The bay at least had the illusion of openness, big enough for a large freighter and with ceilings as high as a three story building. It was home, for the moment, as was the hulking piece of crap CT-200 tucked away in one corner. It was waiting to be re-fitted, or rather, the money to pay for the re-fitting.

The blue haired girl was beginning to go stir crazy. They had been stranded on the cosmic doughnut of Purgatory station for three weeks, and there wasn't any sign of them leaving soon. There was no work here that wouldn't land them in a holding cell, and they couldn't even spare the cash for a trip to the planet. Nothing worse than pirates without a ship, she supposed.

* * *

Oowahm, her Jawa cohort and chief engineer of their fledgling band, scurried away from the unattended shuttle he was "harvesting" to catch a glimpse of the transport out the window. This distraction was good timing, he wagered, secreting the small metal items he'd purloined into one of the pockets of his voluminous coarse burlap robes. There were only so many jawa aboard the station at this time, and people had a tendency of blaming them (in a most unfair and biased manner of course) for the sabotage resulting from stealing important parts from operational ships. Naturally, this was their own fault; they kept the ones in production under such tight wraps, a fellow with an eye for the fine machines _had_ to resort to "examining" the working ones in the hanger. Still, Captain Artera would flay him alive if he ended up in trouble.

"So that's a Chiss cruiser, huh? Never seen one of the civie ones before, but those clawcraft are wicked amazing!"

From working with non-jawa so long, Oowahm's trader speak was better than most, though he couldn't help a squeak or two of his native language in excitement. Careful to make certain no one was looking, he levitated up onto the ledge beside his humanoid crew mate. Being a jawa was enough of a stretch for any stations regulations; he didn't even think Purgatory would allow a _force-sensitive_ jawa to remain aboard.

* * *

"I heard about this guy. The two fellas who run the station were talking about the grapevine that the Chiss had an eye to open business on Ord Mantel. You know what that means; anywhere those blokes go, they dominate. That Rodian bigshot's gotta be unhappy about this."

Explaining the simple politics to Oowahm took little thought, and Neris was halfway zoning as she continued to watch the Chiss transport passing behind the overlay of her reflection in the glass. The sensation thus caught her entirely off guard, as usual. It was like fire, like electricity shooting through her. Her sapphirine eyes widened for a moment at the bizarre montage that suddenly fell into place; the mirror of Oowahm and herself on the ledge blending with the scene outside in space. Something connected, and then it was gone. Oowahm shivered.

"That happen often?" he turned his keen golden gaze from the window to her.

"Not often," Neris replied, still a little shaky, "but when it does, it usually means something big is gonna happen."

"Like the two of you magically making the credits for our modifications manifest from the depths of the space you're staring so intently into?"

Both pirates started at the sound of the rich, confident voice. Facing the owner with guilty looks, they beheld their captain, Alaya Artera, looking stunning as usual; and with a raised hairless brow ridge in their direction. The exotic violet twi'lek, with her sleek steel blue jumpsuit and mid-calf Corellian leather boots, looking like she would be more at home in a salon or upscale café than a hanger bay. But the lines that formed the attractive angular face were business hard, and her eyes held the no-nonsense hue of gray. She lounged against the ship Oowahm had been tinkering with earlier, and he had an uneasy suspicion that she had guessed the full length of _both_ their misdemeanors today. He was grateful his very bad poker face was hidden beneath his hood, and even more grateful when Neris interjected first.

"Actually, I think I just got an idea for that money," the blue-haired girl inclined her head towards the window behind them, and the transport slowly sinking out of view.

* * *

At about the same time that the pirates were observing his arrival, Von Lormac got his first good glimpse of Ord Mantel. The planet lived up to its reputation; it _did_ shine. Half of the planet was a veritable graveyard for all manner of spaceships that were damaged beyond repair. The Junkyard Lords, as the powerful landlords of the vast dump were called, paid well for their internment here and were in turn paid well for the scrap parts foraged from their metal bones. The shimmering dichotomy of silver and the red-brown of rust was given an even more unearthly sheen by a embracing ceiling of atmosphere. This was artificially generated by the sporadic arcane-looking pylons of complex biospheric technology not unlike Csilla's own. On the ground it was a thriving hub of salvage trade and lawless haven of organized crime; but from space it had all the mystique of a lost civilization.

The other side of Ord, was glittering in an entirely different light. Cities emerged from the heaps of scrap like gaudy sunbeams breaking through clouds. A neon glow emanated from these metropolises, vivid enough to be visible from orbit. What wasn't encroached upon entirely by the junkyard was speckled in patchworks of urban development and casino towns, a tacky attempt at emulating the bright center of the universe that was Coruscant. From softer cool hues like blue and purple to loud acid greens and yellows and garish reds and oranges, the other half of the third Ord planet was decked out like a perpetual birthday party for a _very_ spoiled child. Indeed, it was the playground of the spoiled children of the galaxy, and Von intended to run that. His straight spine was tingling with anticipation, but the only outward show was a sigh of satisfaction; a sigh cut short by-

"So, boss, about that jewelry, I was thinking a necklace. Cause I have tons of bracelets and earrings, and brooches just aren't popular these days. I was thinking one of those natural green jadeites from the moons of Eota, to match my eyes, and set in –"

"Quiet, Lain Tee."

Von silenced his companion to court with a mere flick of authoritative tone, his voice the contradiction of a gentle whip. He enjoyed the ability to exercise this talent freely with his employees, and the immediate results it obtained. It was an almost paternal power. He put his larger hand over her smaller one, admiring the similarity of shades.

"I want to enjoy this moment," he explained, "The moment when my endeavors here truly _begin_. If you let me enjoy that, you'll get a necklace, _and_ earrings."

The delighted look on her face as she resolutely pursed her lips confirmed that Von had found the "off" button for his temperamental little star. As the last passenger other than his entourage had been dropped off light years ago, and Taru maintained her ever-silent vigilance, he was left to contemplate the foreign concept of "destiny" in peace.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's note: **_Thief Beats _was the first song for the character of Mev in our homemade soundtrack for the game, and that is where the name of this chapter comes from. Also, a "fence" is someone who tips off professional burglars to where the best jobs may be found. Now back to your regularly scheduled story, before I give away too much!

**Chapter 3: Thief Beats**

The sunsets on Ord Mantell aren't an impressive sight to a being born and bred on desert planet of Farrfin. And for someone like Mevrrir, raised in the capital of Corralas on the coast of a warm, shallow sea, it was damn near insulting. He ordered another drink to forget the spectacular visage of his homeworld's twilight over sandy beaches. No use looking back when one can look forward to a profitable evening.

Sheela, his favorite buxom human waitress at the _Lazy Lady_, poured him another glass of smooth green Chandrillian Verdan liquor. She leaned particularly low, allowing the Farghul a glimpse of her ample assets via a low, loose silk blouse. Another pleasant distraction, but a bit _too_ distracting. Tonight would not be the evening he wooed Sheela, as she had been hoping; there was work to be done. Work Mev did well.

The girl, disappointed with his lack of attention, shook her raven curls and wandered off to find a more receptive patron, and Mev was left to gaze out the large picture window as the city of Ortarri came alive. The explosion of neon signs that erupted across the casino district with the first hints of night's shadow was far more impressive and enticing than the sunset could ever be. Across the street from the café,_ Arogo's Hall of Heaven_, one of the more respectable brothels, was opening its doors to reveal a hallway scattered with plush cushions and exotic beauties. Next door, the garish blue and yellow _Card Shack_ would be drawing in its usual influx of witless gamblers. As far as the eye could see on either side of the wide avenue, similar havens for the debauched and the lucky were welcoming in their flocks. The shades of evening crept into the streets, only to be splattered with a myriad of rainbows thrown in across the cobblestone in the wanton abandon of Ortarri waking up.

The farghul thief stood up with all the languid grace of his leonine species, amused by the frustrated sigh it provoked from Sheela across the room. Quite a number of humanoid women found the golden, cat-like Mev appealing in an exotic fashion, but he had yet to find any girl who could compare to the exhilaration of his "profession". Stalking the nights in search of baubles to lift had become his first love. And tonight offered some rare fare for his discerning tastes.

His favored fence, a Bothan with the moniker of "Smoke" whom he'd known from his days with their infamous Spy Net, had tipped him off to the hotel room of a Chiss diplomat who'd just come in this afternoon. Rumor had it that this was the gent who had the local organized crime worried. The Chiss had an eye to expand business to Ord Mantell, and where they went, they monopolized. According to his fence, the fellow was fresh out of school and related to some higher up noble houses on Csilla. The potential combination of rich and naïve was too good to resist.

Tipping the bartender and heading out into the arid evening, Mev found that his luck tonight just kept getting better. Strolling down the street across from him, sticking out like a sore thumb, was a handsome young Chiss noble, his traditional nagai bodyguard, and a fetching twi'lek girl, presumably his companion. Mev's eyes trailed along the young woman's sleek outline and fine skin like blue porcelain before he reminded himself of the extra opportunity that this presented.

"Well, well, my red-eyed friend, that's two strikes against you. You've got a fat wallet in your pocket and a beautiful woman on your arm. Before the night is over, I'll relieve you of at least one of them!"

He allowed them to merge with the thickening throngs on the street for a few moments, then waded in after them.

* * *

"We seem to have attracted a shadow, my lord" 

Taru's black eyed gaze held Von's own, but her head tilted ever so slightly to indicate the crowds behind them. Von didn't need to glance back to guess which one of the prospectives he had "invited" to meet him had found them already. He suspected it was the professional burglar from Farrfin padding slowly nearer on silent, furry feet. Excellent.

"Observant fellow, and ambitious; those are traits I respect in a future employee," he murmured, "I just tipped them off to the hotel room, and he's spotted me in the crowd and decided to up the ante. No wonder the Bothan spoke highly of him."

"How do you always know?" Taru inquired with a crooked smile. "You haven't even seen him, yet you know which one it is."

"Call it a keen eye for business, Taru," Von permitted a guarded grin to his trusted protector. "Shall we meet our new friend?"

* * *

Lain Tee was just drinking in the joy of returning to mainstream civilization when Von called her out of her reverie. Csilla was so dull in comparison to the rocket bright skyline of a city where people actually _knew_ how to party. And whereas on Coruscant she would have had to have an entire squad of bodyguards, out here she could enjoy total anonymity. Word of the concert had spread, and she had already spotted two or three ladies of the night posing as "Lain Tee" look-a-likes. None but Prometheus himself knew yet that her mysterious benefactor and the arriving Chiss lord were one and the same, and few in their right minds would even dream she would walk the streets of Ortarri. That's what made it so brilliant. Von's instructions pleased her even more. 

"This looks like a rather nice jewelry shop. Why don't you take Taru and see if you can find something that suits you?"

And it _did_ look like a nice jewelry shop, now that she bothered to pay attention to the wonderland that seemed to materialize to their left. Simple, elegant off-white storefront, glass windows so clean you'd barely know they were there, and a neatly glowing sign that read _The Treasury_. Even better, behind those all but invisible windows lie a tasteful smattering of the shop's wares; burning red Kel-Dor rubies, space-black obsidian earrings from the realms of the Sith, bands of Alderanean white gold, and a wide selection of the fine, opalescent jadeite from the moons of Eota.

Ignoring the pained look from Von's nagai servant as the Chiss lord casually handed out a few hundred-worth dactari slips, she practically danced through the door on her light feet, blue head-tails swinging in excitement.

* * *

Yup, naïve as all hell. Mev watched from a shaded, inconspicuous location in a nearby alley as the Chiss dismissed his companions into the shop. Not only had he separated himself from his clever-eyed bodyguard, who Mev feared might have spotted him trailing them a while back, but he had so courteously shown the prowler that he was carrying hard cash as well as cards. Well, not for long. Mev crept closer.

* * *

"My word, if it isn't the famous Lain Tee Eyan. Those gems aren't nearly a match for your lovely eyes." 

Lain Tee whirled away from the jewelry case she had been so looking forward to examining in depth. While the flattery falling from the gentle male voice somewhat mollified her, she would still have to shut him up before the whole store knew who she was.

"You are too kind, my dear sir," though her tone was low and hushed, she turned on the beam of his smile as she moved to face him, "and I would be only too happy to give you an autograph; I just request that you keep your voice down as I am traveling incog- Rik!"

Recognizing the handsome Zeltron as a former co-star, she flung her arms around him and ruffled his rakishly cut purple hair. Once they released from the embrace, he held at arms length and took a good look at her with round, golden eyes that still made her halfway melt.

"Incognito, huh? Shoulda known it was me, baby. After the pictures _we_ did, I'll always know that cute little-"

"Rik!" she cut him off with a slim finger to his lips, glancing nervously around, "you know I don't talk about _those_ anymore. They were at a tricky junction in my career, and now I'd like to be taken seriously as an actress."

"I'm hurt!" Rik put one hand to the breast of his white silk suit and another across his pale forehead melodramatically. "I thought we had something special!"

Lain Tee smiled fondly. Same roguish charm as always. But it was time to change the subject before the flamboyant zeltron embarrassed her.

"So, you said those gems don't suit me; perhaps you can help me find some that do. And what brings you to Ord?"

"Done and done!"

Rik led her over to a large impressive cabinet filled with what was obviously the premiere selection of the entire store. Lain Tee found an oval jadeite pendant of thrilling luster, framed in a thin layer of Alderanean white gold and a accompanied by matching earrings and a ring! She hoped Von wouldn't mind the extra splurge.

"As to why I'm here, at least here in this jewelry store" Rik explained once he was able to steal Lain Tee's attention back from the shining wares, "look right over there."

He pointed discreetly across the shop to another patron, a stunning crimson skinned woman with cascading waves of jet black hair. Though more sensibly dressed than her dark kind, in a high necked grey gown, she was obviously a Sith. Lain Tee wasn't surprised. Pure blooded Massassi were rumored to be interesting and talented lovers, and Rik always prided himself on choosing the best of the best as his ladies.

"High born beauty, a senator, no less," he bragged, "but you know these noblewomen, they always want you to wine and dine them. So I'm letting her pick out a little present before our enchanting evening," the cheerful swagger then left his voice, and he leveled serious eyes on Lain Tee, putting a hand on her shoulder. "She's one of the better ones of her grasping Empire, make no mistake about that."

"Look, word on the street is that you're putting on a concert. I'd leave it at that, if I were you, and make your visit to Ord Mantell as brief as possible. I'm privy to a bit of information, and it says that Lord Prometheus isn't dealing well with his darkside neighbors, and there is an aggressive contingent fixing to make quite a few . . . changes . . ."

"Rik?" a rich voice from the other end of the store interrupted him. It was the sith woman "I've chosen."

"Remember what I said," Rik's eyes locked onto Lain Tee's one last time; then he turned them back to his paramour and trotted off. "At your service, my lady; now let us see what gem for a gem you have decided upon . . ."

Lain Tee wrestled with the disturbing sense of fear Rik's words had set within her. Then, her thoughts were drawn back to the jadeites in the cabinet, and the eager Mon Calamari saleswoman headed her way. Why worry about things she didn't understand to begin with? She called out to Taru to come and make the purchase, and pushed any uncomfortable thoughts from her mind.

It only occurred to her fleetingly that Rik never did tell her his reasons for being on the planet . . .

* * *

The Chiss was standing leisurely out of the path of traffic, one hand a pocket of his crisp white trousers (though luckily not the pocket from which he had pulled the wad of cash), and the other leaning against the wall of the store. His back was to Mev, and the whole of his posture was practically begging for a pocket pinching. Poor chap. Oh well, this is a lesson to the country bumpkins of the universe to be more careful traveling rich in strange places. _This way_, _my blue friend_, Mev thought with a silent snicker, _we'll both walk away richer, for hard won knowledge is priceless_. 

He slunk out of the alleyway behind two brawny Trandoshans, careful to keep his mark in sight. It would be an easy job, slip in and out, fade into the crowd, and it might be hours before the bloke noticed anything was gone. Too bad that sweet little twi'lek was gonna go hungry tonight. Maybe he'd find her tomorrow and invite her out. After all, he _did_ know where she was staying.

Sliding out from behind the Trandoshans as they passed, Mev went in for the score.

"You know, a man with your skills could make much more than my meager wallet."

Mev stood stock still, his hand inches from the Chiss's pocket. He gulped.

"Very good job, my friend. Not as out of sorts here as I had thought. Now, I'll just be on my way-"

"To my hotel this evening, to burglarize it," the Chiss still hadn't turned around. He was obviously confident that Mev would do just what he was doing right now, standing frozen to the spot and utterly perplexed. Did Smoke set him up? Why? And most importantly, how much chance did he have of bolting? If the Chiss was good enough to hear him creeping up, he was probably good enough to pull an until-now hidden blaster on him before he got five meters. Was he a cop?

To make matters worse, the nagai bodyguard had come out of the shop. When she saw the confused look on Mev's face,which he knew madehim look surprisingly and amusingly kittenish, she cracked a grin he would have found quite attractive under normal circumstances.

"So you've found him, I see."

"He found me, actually; just what I expected from such marvelous skills."

"Um . . . thanks . . .," Mev responded sheepishly. The Chiss remained facing away from him, imperturbably calm.

"Did Lain Tee find what she was looking for?"

The nagai girl rolled her eyes. "Yes."

Just then, the twi'lek came out, looking even lovelier than before with a glittering new necklace, twin earrings on her little nubs of ears, and sporting a matching ring. She took one look at him and squealed with delight.

"Boss, can we keep him? I've always wanted a kitty. Though" She put a hand to her chin, and a lusty gleam enter her eyes, which were perfectly paired to her new green jewels, "now that I look at him . . . maybe I want a _companion_, not a pet. He _is_ very handsome."

"Calm yourself, Lain Tee," came the sibilant voice of the Chiss, "you'll make our new friend nervous."

While "nervous" wasn't the proper term for it, and ending up as Miss Lain Tee's companion was definitely not a fate worse than death, Mev still wanted to know what was going on. The Chiss finally faced him, and he could see that thinking this man was anywhere near the definition of "naïve" was a very big mistake. The cold fire of cherry red Chiss eyes stared out of a cunning, chiseled face.

"Your fence didn't set you up, Mevrrir; on the contrary, he's put you in the position for the greatest offer you might ever receive. My name is Karn-fal Von Lormac, and I have a business proposition for you."


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's note:** In case you haven't noticed, species names are capitalized the first time they are introduced and subsequently returned to their proper case (i.e. "human"). "Chiss" remains capitalized because it refers to the Chiss empire, not the species. It is to differentiate it from the Empire (of classical Star Wars reference), which will also appear later in the story.

**Chapter 4: Fated Meetings**

"I do not see why we are here, My Lady Akila"

Jern Ponn pulled his hood lower, casting a shadow over his stern brow and typical Kel-Dor breath mask as they stepped off the transport late into the interstellar evening. To him, the 5th hanger bay of the Purgatory Space Station was a dirty place, filled with the auras of malcontents that the lady he served was too gentle to walk among. He felt the energies of more than a few like himself; those that, for better or for worse, were tuned in to the power of the Force.

But standing next to him in her floating blue cloak, there was that same serene smile on Akila's soft face. He remembered that smile, being as it was the first thing he saw when she had found him, a broken man and lone survivor of the shipwreck that destroyed his Order. He trusted her judgment, though most times he didn't understand it. She turned her blind face up to him, and put a comforting hand on his arm.

"Be at peace, my friend. The Force guides us in all ways, and it is here that the disaster can be averted. Here is the place to save our home."

Beneath a scarf the color of the blue sky on that green land, Alderaan, she had no eyes; her face had all the beauty of a pale sunrise, porcelain skin with the slightest tints of warmth, rose gold lips, framed by a burnished mane of buttercup yellow hair. Many human women would have given much for her features, did they not consider her scarred. But she was not scarred, and she was not human. Akila was Mira-Luka kind, and she saw as well as Jern and beyond, for all her people had eyes in the Force and not only saw the present, but the future as well. That was why they were here.

He watched a nebulous path of dark force trail beneath the strangest of creatures, a little shrouded, glowing-eyed imp, the like of which he had only heard tales of from a barren desert world deep in Hutt space. The diminutive thing was covertly filching parts from ships it passed by way of levitating them into his garment pockets! Jern scoffed and shook his head. Who knew what manner of reprobates they would run into on this god-forsaken world? This had to be done; he just wished his lady hadn't insisted on being the one to do it.

* * *

"I trust you'll find this comfortable; I figured we'll have a more 'informal' interview here instead of going to my new office. Our work spaces tend to . . . intimidate . . .non-Chiss." 

And the farghul thief was not a man to be swayed by intimidation; rather, Von discerned that enticement would be the way to his heart. On the trip up from the planet, he had impressed Mevrrir with the standard private transport his committee had set up for him until he allocated funds from the starting stipend to an interplanetary vehicle of his own. The next stage in wooing the prospective employee was to show off the exceptional accommodations his entourage had secured on the space station floating above the planet. The interview was taking place in the classy cantina at the _Promenade_, Ord Mantell's only off-planet hotel. Seated at one of the spacious, red velvet booths, complete with its own silence bubble, they could negotiate in privacy and security.

"The meal will be paid for, regardless of what you decide," he waved a long arm, motioning Mevrrir to have a seat, then climbed into booth with the farghul at his right. To allow another to sit at one's right hand was traditional Chiss respect for valued professionals. Taru took up position just behind the booth, more in a ceremonial capacity than actually guarding at this point, since the booth's low level force field provided a virtual wall against uninvited entry.

Lain Tee had scooted into a seat on Von's left. The Chiss lord noticed she had hardly taken her eyes off the farghul thief since she'd first made his acquaintance outside the jewelry store. Now, she was staring across the table at him, a dreamy expression in her large eyes, and her lips in full pout. For Mevrrir's part, he seemed to definitely be enjoying the attention. With this development added onto all the preparation, Von wagered his new talent was virtually in the bag. He sat back, relaxed, and let them ogle each other a moment longer before beginning. At last, he leaned forward and placed his folded hands on the table between them.

"Before business, a formal introduction is polite. We hardly spoke on the way here, and I'd like to present myself and my little group to you with some courtesy. As I mentioned before, I am Von Lormac of the House of Karn-fal, of the great family Inrokini. This is my loyal protector, Taru, and Lain Tee Eyan, a holovid performer in my employment."

"Paying for my meal, a deluxe suite at _The Promenade, the_ Lain Tee Eyan on your payroll," Mevrrir let out a low whistle. "You're some businessman, Von Lormac."

"Indeed, so I've been told," Von replied, reclining again with a smooth, confident smile. "Actually by most of the Ord businessmen I had holo-conferences with on the way here from Chiss space."

The farghul nodded, his own grin widening

"Sheesh, you've covered bases I'll bet old Prometheus didn't expect you to get to for weeks. I'm Mevrrir, but you can call me Mev," he extended a hand.

Most Chiss would have been caught off guard, and even disturbed by the prospect of taking the furry palm in their own cool fingers; but Von had extensively studied the etiquette of the outside galaxy and shook Mev's hand with hardly a pause. He noted, by the new respect in the feline expression, that the gesture had not been lost on Mevrrir.

"You'll pardon me, Mevrrir, but I thought that Farrfin nobles had four names."

It was meant to be another show of his knowledge of non-Chiss cultures, but for a moment, Von thought he had horribly miscalculated. The farghul's mouth stiffened to almost a grimace, and something painful passed across the golden cat's eyes, causing them to glisten. Then it fell away, and Mevrrir regained his smug poker face.

"Just Mevrrir, if you please."

"As you wish. I have no need to pry into my employee's lives. And I _do_ want you to be my employee, Mevrrir."

"Of course," Mev folded his arms behind his back. "I _am_ the best sneak around here. And though I'm sure almost every business on Ord, legitimate or no, is thrilled at the idea of someone other than Prometheus running this place, they're also scared. The beast must be de-fanged in order to get the backing to 'retire' him. That will require some . . . subterfuge."

Now it was Von's turn to be impressed and amused. "Excellent deduction, Mev. I enjoy hiring individuals who can anticipate my plans."

* * *

"Oh, good! You _are_ hiring!" 

Nearly everyone at the table jumped, even Taru, who normally considered herself quite difficult to sneak up on. It wasn't even as if the blue haired girl had been quiet about her entry. She had simply stepped right through the force field and obviously heard right through the silence bubble, as if there was nothing there to obstruct her. The nagai fingered the hilt of her sword.

This was the work of a Force user, and one can never be too careful around such wizards. All those who lived under the dominion of Csilla regarded them with suspicion. Taru was aware that three main cults of the Force existed, and each had their own strange codes and notions of justice. But this girl seemed hardly a monk or cultist; on the contrary, from her drab green and brown fringer attire, Taru would have seen her as nothing but a common rogue if she had not penetrated the force field. No sense in acting rashly yet; if her lord deemed it necessary, she could probably handle the intruder, force user or no. She looked to Lord Von's reaction.

* * *

"A-and you are?" Von battled both anger and surprise, determined neither should show. On one hand, the young woman had rudely interrupted their negotiations; on the other, the very fact that she was able to do so was something to be understood before simply having Taru escort her out. His hands clenched on the table, and his mouth drew the hard line of forced composure. 

"Neris," the girl replied, unperturbed and leaning one hand casually on the table directly in front of Von, "I represent a trio former Shadow Wing associates who are looking for a little spare cash these days. I think we would make a valuable addition to your club here."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lain Tee was nearly beside herself in irritation. They had been just about to sign on the handsome cat-man, and this dusty little gutter snipe has to come in and disrupt everything. Worse yet, she might even be competition for Mev, whom Lain Tee considered the one with obvious superior . . . qualifications. It would not be tolerated. She leaned closer to her lord. 

"Boss," she wheedled sweetly in Von's native tongue, "Don't waste your time trying to talk to her. I don't like her. Make the annoying lady go away."

She shot a triumphant glare in the direction of the invader. If there was one thing Lain Tee Eyan could do, it was cajole and persuade.

* * *

"It's not nice to say things about people when you think they can't understand you." 

Von's ruby eyes widened a bit, and Lain Tee jumped a second time. Neris's mouth hadn't moved, yet the Chiss lord had clearly heard her voice inside his mind; and from Lain Tee's reaction and startled expression, she had, too. This time, Von was quick to recover his carefully neutral expression. The usefulness of these types of abilities set his calculating brain in motion, which in turn fueled his inner calm. He allowed the girl a genuine smile.

"_If_ you can wait your turn this time, I might have just found myself more employees than I bargained for; that is, provided _both _of you are interested."

"I'd be crazy not to be, Von Lormac," Mev had been watching the whole interaction with a mischievous grin. "Money's not what I need; it's just a plaything to me. What I crave is excitement and I have a feeling that working for you, isn't going to be boring in the slightest."

Neris, having won her gamble, perched on the corner of Mev's side of the booth with almost a sheepish expression on her heart-shaped face. To Von's relief, she managed to avoid talking out of turn for _most_ of the rest of the evening, her associates sounded promising, and Mevrrir had no objection to signing a well drawn out Chiss contract.

He was to meet with Neris's pirate friends early the next morning, to see if they also measured up to his standards; though if they really were from the infamous Shadow Wing network, they would be welcome additions. Provided, of course, that he could secure their loyalty. Pirates, by their very nature, were more ethically tricky than even the worst Chiss businessman. But if they were anything like Neris, he figured that he had little to worry about in the department of guile. For a career criminal, she was the textbook definition of naïve. She'd told him all about their money troubles, and the ship they couldn't pay for, and he had sensed nothing from her but honesty. Von had quite a talent for discerning the motives of others, and he never let respect or even friendship get in the way; in fact, the better one knew one's target, the more one discovered.

Thinking on motivation he needed to know, Von was reminded of one more visit he had to make before retiring for the evening. He bid Neris a good night and allowed Mev to escort Lain Tee to her quarters (with a stern warning that that was _all_ he was to do). Then, he turned to Taru, who had finally gotten used to the Force wielding ragamuffin at their table and was gradually relaxing her stance as the meeting was adjourning.

"Well, my friend, Lain Tee has gotten her presents. Let us see about yours."

* * *

Neris walked with the Chiss lord and his bodyguard to the doors of the cantina, bade them farewell again, and promptly rounded the corner. Then, she slumped against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the cool titanium of the station seep into her back. 

"What was I thinking? Barging in like that could've gotten me in trouble. It's a good thing he thinks I did it on purpose. . ."

Out of her pocket, she pulled her security blanket, a small white stone with a wave-like rune engraved on it in blue. It was the same wave that was tattooed on her forehead, hidden by a tousle of unruly bangs. She levitated it into the air, hovering it in front of her at eye level.

"Where do you come from?" she whispered, "Where do _I_ come from?"

* * *

"I just felt something." 

Akila stopped in the middle of the corridor, causing Jern to glance around abruptly. They were on their way to their accommodations at _The Promenade_, and all he could feel was the night heating up for gamblers and thieves at the local casino. He wondered if the lady had tuned into the source of the impending danger already.

"What is it that you sense?" he inquired quietly, hoping not to distract her from the proverbial "scent". But that serene smile returned to her face.

"A presence I have not felt in a long time. When I was a little girl, my parents did charity work on Tatooine, a planet in the Hutt systems. There was a slave child there that I played with . . ."

Her voice trailed off, and Jern could see that she was lost in so vague, lovely memory. How anyone could have lovely memories of a Hutt world, he did not know. He credited the lady's gentle spirit. For his part, the kel-dor could sense nothing but a vague dark energy lurking around the corner. But that was exactly the direction Akila drifted in.

Behind the bend, one of Purgatory's more Force adept malcontents was aimlessly toying with some sort of pebble. From the slight glow it gave off to his honed senses, he guessed it was a type of talisman. She stopped as soon as they came into view, and secreted the stone away. Then, her round sapphire eyes caught sight of Akila.

"Is it . . .is it really you?" she looked stunned, scrambling to her feet and taking a hesitant step forward.

"Neris! It _is_ you!" Akila cried, and she rushed forward and embraced the surprised young woman, then held her out at arms length. "You've grown!"

"So have you," the girl called Neris was recovering herself and smiling. "Akila Menavoo. I never thought I'd see you again, after you and your parents left that harvest season so long ago. What brings you to Purgatory?"

"Work. We're looking for work."

Though Neris didn't know it, Jern recognized the faded tone of Akila's Force-trance voice. It was the only thing the kept him from demanding if she had gone mad. Obviously the Force was guiding her in the direction they needed to go, but beneath the cyanide mask his jaw dropped.

"What a coincidence!" Neris was exclaiming, "We are looking for new crew. You see, we ordered mods to our ship from the guys who run the station, but they turned out to be pretty pricey, and the rest of our crew decided to abandon ship – and us. Pirates tend to be a stir crazy lot, and we aren't leaving here for a while. So it's just me, the Captain, and Oowahm, the engineer-"

"Pirates!" Jern coughed.

"Yup!" Neris beamed with pride and fluffed her collar, "Former Shadow Wing,"

She wandered rather far into his personal space, peering under his low hood; he took a step backward, uncomfortable under the sudden scrutiny.

"You a Jedi?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow and pursing her lips in a caricature of intense concentration.

"No."

"Ok, that's good. I don't think the Captain would like me to bring her a Jedi."

Of course not, Jern thought, a Jedi would turn your entire band of brigands in. Neris's attention turned back to Akila, and he watched helplessly as one of the greatest seers the Republic had ever known made plans to meet at 0800 hours in Hanger Bay 5 to join a pirate crew, and signed him up right along with her. He trusted the Force, but this promised to be a long trip.


	6. Interlude: Grobstar Industries

**Author's note: **In this SW universe, the Trade Federation was an obnoxious little flash in the pan that was short-lived, at best.

And yes, I know that "frell", "frelnik", and "dren" are Farscape swear words. I just like the sound of them, and we did use them a lot in the game.

**Interlude: Grobstar Industries**

Located in the squat center of Purgatory station was a bulbous hub scavenged from a ship belonging to the old and now defunct Trade Federation. When they went bankrupt, all those nifty droid control ships went to scrap, and a lot of them ended up in the junkyards of Ord Mantell. Grobthar managed to get a sizable chunk of one to graft onto the station, expanding it into the open-ended circle it was today. The hub became the home of Grobstar Industries, an investment he and one of his buddies had recently made. . . with the permission of their boss, of course.

A grimace soured the Mon-Calamari's fishy face. Here they were, over two years later, still under the reins of Prometheus. The cheap shit gouged him and his partner Aidan Regana for more than half of what they made; and had the muscle to take it if necessary. They were virtually on a leash for that pocket pinching little frelnik's enjoyment! At least he allowed them to run Purgatory as they saw fit. It was the least extravagant of the three stations owned by Tri-force Supplies and Shipping, Prometheus's legitimate front for his vast smuggling empire; but to Grobthar and Ravenstar, it was home.

"Home is where the heart is, my scaly ass," the engineer grumbled as he looked over the latest work order of the evening. "Home is where you're overworked and underpaid."

"Still, you've got to admit that last customer was interesting."

Aiden Regana, call sign Ravenstar, hopped lithely onto the cold steel surface of Grobthar's drafting table. The two of them had been friends since their days in Prometheus's "shipping" business. Ravenstar had been first his captain, then his partner, both in the running of Purgatory and the budding Grobstar Industries. Currently, they were working on rather thin ice, proverbially and almost literally. Their last visitor had been from the frozen world of Csilla, the new Chiss businessman who was rumored to be looking to oust their boss. Grobthar felt his mottled brown scales stiffening with nerves at the thought of the job; but Ravenstar seemed amused by this borderline treason. He was usually the more comfortable of the two when it came to shady dealings.

"Obtaining and modifying a CloakShape fighter! Old boy, you must be thrilled!" He clapped Grobthar on back with one hand and ran the other through his ink-black hair. "Not to mention getting on the good side of the man who might rid us of Prometheus."

"Oh, don't start that again!" Grobthar shrugged him off and walked away from the table and the first sketches of the formative plans for the modifications. "The man that might rid us of Prometheus, the deal that might rid us of Prometheus, the _natural disaster_ that might rid us of Prometheus! When are you going to get it through your that scoundrel's brain of yours that we aren't getting rid of Prometheus anytime soon!"

Still, his bulging gold-flecked eyes wandered back to the blueprints he had just begun for the Chiss noble, and he knew they were too huge to easily hide the hint of hope therein. Ravenstar saw; he always did. And he was cracking that roguish grin of his, which told Grobthar volumes about his mindset. The enthusiasm was contagious, as usual.

"You really think this guy's that tough?" Grobthar heard himself mumbling gruffly, succumbing to his desire at last and snatching up the plans he so longed to work on. If Prometheus caught them helping this Von Lormac character without his knowledge, they could land themselves in real trouble. But it _was_ a CloakShape the Chiss had ordered; one didn't get the chance to work on those very often.

"We'll find out tomorrow," Ravenstar answered his partner's question with an easy laugh. "At least we got to meet him before our official 'diplomatic' capacity as Prometheus's stooges."

Grobthar groaned. The obnoxious rodian had been especially delighted at making the two of them his 'special emissaries', complete with stupid costumes and lame scripts. He hadn't even spared poor Kebron. Grobthar cast a sympathetic glance at where his favorite creation, a super intelligent, heavily modified droidika slumbered in the corner of his workshop. Keybron was also part of the "show" for Von Lormac tomorrow morning.

He understood the nature of the empire of the Chiss well enough to know that Von Lormac without a doubt _planned_ to take over. But he didn't share Ravenstar's careless confidence. The cool wit of the Chiss verses the heavy arm of the gangster . . . it would be a tough match to call, not unlike the duel arranged for a few days hence, another of Prometheus's 'celebrations' for his visitor . . .


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 5: The Court of Crime In Business**

"What do you mean, you two won't go?"

Neris's voice rose to a fever pitch and echoed across the entire hanger bay. She flung her arms up in frustration; but Captain Artera's mouth remained in that firm thin line the pirate girl knew very well, the line that meant she wasn't relenting on the decision she'd made.

"I know you wanted to surprise us, Neris, and the fact that this might pay for the ship is all well and good; but we are Shadow Wing. We are couriers and servants for no one, not a Chiss diplomat, not even a king or queen. If you choose to earn your portion of the money this way, so be it; Oowahm and I are not running some businessman's errands or taking out rodian thugs for him."

She put one shapely lavender hand on the hip of her aqua lacquered cat suit, and Neris knew it was over. She was on her own.

Oowahm, for his part, was quite torn about the entire issue. On one hand, he personally wouldn't mind an invite into this Chiss man's quarters, or the swank personal transport he had hired, and Neris _had_ come through on finding them work. On the other hand, however, he wanted to stay on Alaya's good side as well, and the idea of having the luxury to be picky about jobs appealed to the Jawa. It was status, something his people were rarely accorded. Still, piratical dignity was nothing compared to having a ship, and they needed that money for the ship . . . his quick little mind would have continued darting back and forth like that for countless revolutions if it wasn't for the rare diplomatic insight that took him at that moment.

He motioned emphatically to Alaya, jabbing his little bandaged thumb in the direction of the new potential crew members. Jern Ponn and Akila Menavoo had arrived promptly at 0800 hours, and had been given a thorough interrogation by Alaya Artera. Both had requested a no-background check clause, which wasn't much of a shock in this line of work, and had been reluctantly accepted after the Captain had done an exhaustive amount of empathic probing with her own considerable Force abilities. Though she could find no dishonesty in them, it was clear to Oowahm that their commander hardly felt they were material befitting her crew. Now was a perfect chance for the two to demonstrate their value. Though no words passed between them, the captain seemed to catch on, and one look in her eyes told him that she approved . . . and something else.

Alaya once again turned on her dazzling smile.

"Oowahm seems to have found a solution, one I wholeheartedly agree upon. Let your friends prove their dedication to this crew by helping you earn _all_ the money for the new ship. Work for this Von, if you want; you can even pursue your ludicrous idea of ferreting out more Alderaanean Ale for Commander Ravenstar. Do whatever you want to do, so long as we have a ship by the end of the month. They get hired as part of our crew and . . . I'll consider you for a position of authority at last."

Neris leapt forward and embraced her captain, oblivious to the crooked half-grin now playing on Alaya's lips, a grin that would have let Neris know she wasn't getting the whole story. Jern saw it, though, and wasn't convinced the pirates would do anything but shoot them in the back and maybe their foolish blue-haired shipmate as well. But the silly girl was busy making assurances to the twi'lek and the jawa that they wouldn't be sorry about this. The kel-dor turned glance at the Lady Akila by his side; her serenity had not diminished, though, and she waited calmly for the proceedings to conclude. He often wished he had her faith, and her confidence in the will of the Force.

Meanwhile, in his comfortably spare office in the suite at the _Promenade_, redecorated and furnished to Chiss specifications, Lord Von Lormac was awaiting the first of three important meetings he was to have today.

He didn't expect to have long to wait. Like so many other merchants and entrepreneurs struggling under the iron claws of that repulsive rodian, Commander Ravenstar and his mon calamari engineer friend seemed like reasonable, hard-working individuals. The idea of grinding those under one's dominion into the dirt and creating unfair monopolies disgusted the young Chiss. On Csilla, if someone was the better businessman, one acknowledged that. The competitors could try as many covert and less than legitimate ways to one up each other as they desired, but one never used strong arm tactics to bully a rival. If another entrepreneur was smarter than Von Lormac, he congratulated that person, not threatened them. Not only was it cowardly, it was an admission of defeat to only be able to beat the competition by cheating in such a manner.

And this Prometheus was undoubtedly a coward. Von knew _exactly_ how to handle cowards.

The door chimed at about 1005, and slid open to usher in Ravenstar and Grobthar in the most ridiculous outfits. The proud commander and his fishman cohort were wearing bright red tights and loose black tunics bearing the insignia of their crimelord boss, a crudely stylized rodian head with bulging bug-like eyes. They shuffled more than walked into the room, quite clearly dejected by this "duty".

Parting on either side of the door, they allowed Grobthar's prize droid, a creation he had proudly showcased to Von the night before, to enter with what appeared to be a vid screen strapped across its front. The machine, if it was possible, seemed equally humiliated. The clumsy vid screen preventing its normal rolling movement, the droid seemed hesitant and awkward actually walking with its four claw-like legs. It halted a few meters from Von's desk, and the screen switched on and began to crackle.

"Presenting the honorable Lord Prometheus, first among rodians in the eyes of the grateful people of Ord Mantel."

Ravenstar's flat tone betrayed so much of his true feelings on the matter of this little "assignment" that it became apparent to Von that Prometheus was making him do this _because _he hated it. Grobthar, finishing the monologue, was equally monotonous and unwilling.

"Master of the three great stations, and prince among benefactors, our noble and benevolent employer grants you audience."

The image of Prometheus slid into focus. The rodian was seated behind an opulent desk made of pure Corellian marble, an exceptional slab no doubt chosen for its rich cream color and the ebb and flow of obsidian strands within. On his right, the bare muscular torsos of two enormous human bodyguards could be seen, large, exotic weapons clutched in their beefy hands. On his left, the scantily clad body of a woman appeared, perch on the cool marble of the desk. One slender grey-blue hand, lacquered with blood red nail polish, was massaging the rodian's nearest shoulder. The other was fingering a gaudy black medallion that was obviously meant to drawn attention to her gratuitously low neckline.

But Von could see neither her face nor the faces of the bodyguards. Only Prometheus' somewhat corpulent, glossy green insectoid face was visible. The message was clear: this scene was all about the rodian. The others were just window dressing. Prometheus leaned in, affording Von a far closer look up his protruding snout than the Chiss lord thought he'd ever want to see.

"Greeting, Von of the Chiss Empire. I welcome you and your business to my station."

More subtle messages. Prometheus spoke in his own language, and addressed Von as generally as possible, stripping away as many titles as he could and still appear politely ignorant. He also referred to the station as "his", firmly stating his rightful authority from the first and reminding Von that, for the moment at least, he was the rodian's guest.

_The game begins_, thought the Chiss lord. He allowed his glittering white teeth to show in a humorless smile.

"I thank you, Lord Prometheus," he replied, careful to use the rodian's proper epithet to show that Chiss citizens were the soul of decorum even in the face of rudeness. But he answered in Basic. _Never give them too much ground._

"I have been told you come from a merchant family of some repute on your world," Prometheus switched to Basic, but continued with the game of subtle condescension, "And that you have recently come into your first independent voyage into the world of business."

"Yes," Von folded his hands, a gesture of self-control among his people, "I think you will find that despite my inexperience, I am an excellent purveyor of many goods rare and difficult to find. In fact, I have recently been discussing a solution to your ale import problem."

The rodian's smug demeanor faltered momentarily, and his glass-like black eyes hardened. He had apparently not expected Von to find such a crucial flaw in the station's supply lines so quickly.

"You are too kind, young Von," the edge of acid on the rodian's now openly demeaning remark was unmistakable. "I must repay the favor. In fact, in your honor, and the hopes of continual business ventures with your people, I have arranged a celebration on Purgatory."

_At last,_ _we come to it_. Von couldn't keep a slight sneer off of his face. _I am to be tolerated and pandered to in hopes of exploiting my empire_. _How little you know of us, rodian_.

"Once again, I thank you, Lord Prometheus," Von unfolded his hands in a regal motion of gratitude, "and I have the offering _I_ promised. Lain Tee, a 'gift' from my uncle for my branching forays into the entertainment industry, will be only too happy to perform at this celebration in honor of her new benefactor."

"You _have_ brought her!" the lust in the rodian's eyes betrayed his weakness at once. He even ignored Von's latest parry in their verbal fencing match. "This pleases me greatly! Lormac, perhaps you and I have an excellent business future together."

"Now, _you _are to kind," Von replied with a smirk. _To yourself_, he added mentally.

The woman to Prometheus' left was not happy at his excitement over the twi'lek entertainer. The hand massaging his shoulder pinched quite unexpectedly. Prometheus yelped; and Grobthar and Ravenstar, who had hitherto strived to keep their expressions as blank as their voices had earlier been, seemed to have trouble suppressing their amusement. Von was pleased their employer couldn't see them, as they were fighting a losing battle.

"Erm, yes," Prometheus started, as though the pinch had merely been to remind him of some important topic he had yet to discuss, "there is one more gift I have for you. As you know, part of the celebration will consist of a duel between two famous warriors. As a show of good faith, I bequeath one of the duelists to fight under your banner. He is reputed to be a famous Sith who has survived many battles that would have killed ordinary men."

"Of course, I would be pleased to sponsor him."

At Von's response, the woman giggled, seemingly appeased. Prometheus relaxed again, smugness creeping once more into his tone.

"Excellent. He is waiting to be picked up on the planet Anobis, not far from Ord Mantel. Farewell and we look forward to meeting you in person."

The screen went dark before Von could express a hint of his anger at the parting shot. The whole "sponsorship gift" was set up to make him the delivery service for a duelist who was most likely slated to lose!

"Thank you for your assistance with Lord Prometheus' audience."

Grobthar and Ravenstar had winced at their boss's final comments. Now their increasingly strained expressions alerted Von to the fact that the grinding of his teeth hadn't been as quiet as he'd hoped. He sighed.

"Mr. Lormac," Ravenstar began, "I just want to say that Grobthar and I genuinely value your business and your friendship and -," he drifted over in a sentence that Von finished for him.

"No, Captain Ravenstar, I do not hold you an accomplice to your _current_ employer's lack of any civilized manners."

The word "current" was deliberately enunciated.

"Are you certain that this _Chiss_ is a reputable man to be working for?" Jern couldn't keep his distrust of that ruthless empire, or its people, out of his tone. He and Neris rounded the final corner that stood between them and the two story entrance to the Hotel Promenade. The blue-haired girl nodded.

"He seemed like a capital fellow when I met him last night. Much more upscale than our normal clientele."

_Which isn't saying much_, Jern thought. What he said was, "Then why are your shipmates so reluctant to work with him?"

"From the look of the contract he was making that farghul sign last night, I'm honestly not surprised. In our organization, contracts are signed by individuals, not the whole operation. They figured it's only fair that the new guys take one for the team. You and Akila come through satisfactorily on something as iron-clad as a _Chiss contract_, and they'll be convinced of your conviction to our crew."

_We'll probably _be _convicted before that, _reprimanded the cynical voice in the back of Jern's mind. But Neris broke in on his doom-saying inner monologue with a low whistle.

"I feel like such a farm girl. It still takes me a while to get used to stuff like this."

It _was_ a sight. Even Jern had to admit that. Artificial sunlight illuminated the massive columns of the hotel entrance facade. They were carved in palatial Alderanian style, with narrow fluting and gracefully curling capitals. Beyond the vaulting arch, the squat foyer was bordered on either side with tropical gardens. They were a wild explosion of verdant green, augmented by a rainbow of exotic flowers and small shimmering birds that darted to and fro like flying jewels.

Passing through the open gates, Neris was immediately distracted by all the brilliance and life. Having sympathy for a fellow denizen of a harsh and haggard world, Jern gave her a few moments to revel in the beauty of a healthy ecosystem. Then, he gently cleared his throat. Neris glanced up from the glossy fern she was caressing with reverence. The awe written all over her face was almost pitiful.

"It's only an illusion," Jern reminded her, surprised by his own melancholy.

"So's most of this galaxy."

As if shaken back to the reality of her existence, the pirate girl abandoned the gardens surrounding her and made a beeline for the expansive front desk. Jern followed, feeling for all the world like he'd killed something.

After the laborious ordeal of convincing the matre'di that yes, a surly-looking kel-dor and a flyaway blue-haired ragamuffin had _indeed _come to see "Master Lormac", Neris and Jern boarded the private elevator to Lord Von's suite and offices in Promenade Luxury Pylon 3.

Fresh from that most annoying interview with the abominable rodian, and falling into the trap of taxi-ing some Sith rabble around, Von Lormac wasn't in the mood for any more surprises. So when Neris arrived at his door with a person who was obviously _not_ the twi'lek captain Artera or the little engineer, he half-considered throwing them both out of his office in a rather un-Chiss-like display of rudeness. Then he noticed the lightsaber at the kel-dor's waist, half-hidden in the voluminous dun-colored robes. . . Jedi robes . . .

"Please do sit down."

Without rising, he indicated two of the three chairs at a comfortable distance from the desk. Neris promptly flopped into the central one.

"Cushy!" she half-squealed with enthusiasm, admiring the seat's plush, pillowed surface. Even under the tinted goggles, the motion of the kel-dor's rolling eyes was visible. Von smiled and folded his hands once more. He suddenly felt his amiable mood returning. The kel-dor took a seat with easy movement that hinted a warrior's training.

"Thank you, sir."

He was polite, too. Another mark in his favor

"And you are?" Von kept his tone casual, not wanting to betray his interest in the new element.

"Jern Ponn, sworn guardian of the seer Akila, whom also seeks your employment."

Behind his courtesy, the kel-dor was obviously suspicious. That was why he hadn't brought this seer he served. He was assessing the situation first. Taru herself would have done no less. In fact, it had taken much coaxing to even get her to part from Von's side for these interviews. Von valued that in his bodyguard, and he respected it in this man. So he spared Jern Ponn's pride and left the question of where this Akila was lie. Besides, there were more important inquiries to be made.

"I know why Miss Neris is interested in working for me, but what brings you to my office, Jern Ponn?"

Here the kel-dor hesitated, shifting in his seat, and Neris bit her lip. This _was_ interesting, especially if the seer he was speaking of was the Akila Von had heard of in his little "hobby" of studying the mysterious Force. Akila Minavoo was a well-known Alderanian seer of no small repute for accuracy . . . and virtue. What could have brought two such upstanding characters into the company of a former Shadow Wing?

"Come now," Von coaxed, "If we are to do business with one another, I would appreciate frankness."

Jern scrutinized him for a moment. Von wondered if the masked Jedi was using some esoteric Force power to determine the extent of his earnestness. At last, the words were drawn slowly from behind the mouthpiece.

"We . . . have been brought here by the Force, guided to help Captain Artera and her crew acquire their ship. They have instructed me to be of some use to you. My lady Akila has told me little else."

"And how can you be of use to me, Jern?" Von's voice was soft, and he allowed a bit of rare familiarity to slide into his speech. He respected this man, wanted the two strange Force-users on his staff. "Tell me of yourself, your talents. I promise I will not ask you to do anything against your conscience."

"I am not a Jedi, my lord, if that is what you believe; but my talents are . . . comparable. I am one of the Advocates of the Force."

Neris sat up straight and let out a gasp.

"Wow! I thought they were only a legend! Those who work with both the light and the dark side of the Force."

"Very interesting, indeed," Von remarked, impressed. This was even better than a Jedi. "I am inclined to help you and your lady, Jern Ponn. I do not pretend to know your 'Force' by anything other than mere academic fascination; but if I can help you to follow where it leads you, I will do so.

And there is already a profitable task at hand, for you and Neris, at least. On the nearby planet of Anobis, there is a gentleman awaiting someone in my employment to pick him up and bring him to the station for a duel. He is a Sith, and my courier, Mevrrir, has no skill in the Force. I would be quite grateful if the two of you would go along and protect my associate should this Sith decide to be less than polite."

"And Akila?" Jern's tone was stern. "What will you ask of her?"

"Nothing against her conscience, the same as I have promised you, Jern. I am very interested in her abilities, and as any wealthy eccentric, will pay well to indulge my curiosity."

After a few more long minutes of scrutiny, Jern Ponn seemed satisfied with the terms of this agreement. Von could tell that he still had misgivings, but they didn't seem to get in the way of him signing the contract. It helped that Von assured him that he was only signing for himself, and that Akila would be held to nothing without her own personal consent.

The girl Neris was mostly quiet throughout the proceedings, an unexpected blessing. Based on his extensive knowledge of reading the potential in other sentient life, Von had narrowed her down to being an ingénue, or at least a very talented idiot. Either way, his first Force-using acquisitions for his entourage seemed to be working to his favor nicely.

He had a good twenty minutes alone in his office to enjoy plotting how these new cards could put a hitch in his rodian rival's bravado. Then, the appointed time arrived for Taru to present him with his final favor by his government and house, a gifted computer specialist. The appointed time came and went. Fifteen minutes later, neither Taru nor the "Slicer", as he was called, had appeared. Von was starting to become cross again. Taru was never late, so clearly it was the man's fault. If he failed to live up to his expectations, there would be ice cold hell to pay. The Chiss weren't tolerant of anything less than excellence from those honored with an imperial recommendation from one of the three great houses.

At last, _twenty-five minutes late_, Von recognized Taru's crisp knock at the office door. He always thought it quaint; she never used the chime, always knocked. It was both her disdain of modern convenience and a signal to him who it was. He could often tell her mood by that knock. From the sharp, quick violence of those 2 little raps, her current mood was most likely annoyed. He pressed the silver button that opened the automatic door.

In stumbled a shaggy haired, unkempt human of slight frame and rumpled clothes, followed by Taru, face taut with irritation. Von grimaced, both at the rough three-days scruff grown on his face and the pervasive smell of alcohol that clung to several large stains on the man's poorly buttoned shirt.

"_This_ is the Slicer?" Von's composure finally slipped. He stared in horror at the disheveled man sprawled on the floor of his immaculate office.

"Yesh sir, yer worship!" The man staggered to his feet and saluted. "Ah'm da one an' only."

"And your name is?" Von demanded. He was told he would know the man sent by his people by a code name he used, a code name only he would know.

"Toros, yer worship, jush Toros."

"Where did you find him," Von inquired quietly, eyes flicking to Taru. A strained expression was upon her.

"Not at the rendezvous point, that's for sure. I came ten minutes early, and it took me three times as long to find him- in the local cantina, no less. And in this condition!" she sighed, "but I ID-ed him, even with a DNA test!"

"Stabbed my arm, she did!" the "Slicer" affirmed, rubbing his shoulder, "Stung, too!"

"And you like computers, Mr . . . Toros. . . you feel you are _good_ at what you do?" Von voice was still quiet, stunned.

But the man's glazed blue eyes cleared, and into them came a look of intense cunning. He smiled, the grin of small and clever animals.

"Oh, sir, the best."

Then he crumpled to the office floor, unconscious from the drink. For a moment Von said nothing. Then he looked back up at Taru.

"Take him to his room and have him cleaned up. He is to be allowed to imbibe his poison only if he performs his duties satisfactorily."

Taru glanced at the prone form dubiously, but she obeyed her lord without question.

Once again alone in his office, Von allowed himself a sigh. So many surprises, so many things unplanned. It was almost as though this mysterious Force was taunting him. Well, for better or for worse, it seemed he was at its mercy. He only hoped it was a more understanding master than most of the Chiss gods he could name.


	8. Interlude: Dark Visions

**Interlude 2: Dark Visions**

It was black, midnight everywhere, yet full of a dim, ambient glow. Just enough light to make out the vague forms of a shadowy cast, in the performance that would be the future. Many of her visions were like that. Events were always in flux. Some things, some things could be avoided; others . . . well, they were truly fate.

And often unpleasant.

Before her stood Jern, the way he had been when she had first found him. Lost. Broken, and angry. Emerging from the wreckage of a ruined ship that had spiraled out of hyperspace into the atmosphere of Alderaan, he radiated an aura of hate and pain. Like a monster out of a childhood tale, he staggering through the rubble, torn robes hanging off him and splattered with his own silver blood, a horrible wheezing sound emanating from his breathing apparatus. It was small wonder that the Jedi with her had suggested it would be kinder to end his misery then and there, so far gone to darkness did he seem. But she had sensed within him the spark, something that still strove for reason. She alone had stayed their sabers, prevented his demise.

Now Akila saw the Jern that he had become, strong and disciplined, clothed in the simple robes of the Jedi who had helped nurse him back to himself. The spot where the curling bulk of skin near his left ear had been singed and burnt had hardly left a scar. He still looked alien, with those great knots of flesh around either ear and the heavy folds of his forehead and mask that encompassed so much of his countenance; but it was a noble appearance. The glittering eyes were those of a calm man, one who has faced his inner demons and come out on top. He never spoke of what came before they found him, and she never asked.

Slowly one of the dark figures separated from the shadows milling in dull glow, approaching Jern from behind. And a change came over him. The peaceful man she knew was fading, and Akila realized too late that his demons were not conquered yet but merely suppressed. His eyes narrowed, fists clenched, body adopted a more aggressive posture. The energy of the dark side filled his aura and he let out a feral snarl as the faceless man put a hand on his shoulder in wicked camaraderie.

Akila awoke with a start. Artificial sunlight from the nearby botanical gardens filtered in through the window of her suite, deceptively close to the conditions in her room back home. But this wasn't home, and Jern was about to be a lot farther from his heart's abode if she didn't hurry.

She donned the concealing blue robes of her profession swiftly, and bound her eyeless visage with a jewel spangled scarf. She would have to run half the station if she were to make it to Von Lormac's private space dock in time.


End file.
